What To Do With Data Scientists When Data Science Is Not Your Game

If your products and services don’t serve the data science community; however, you’re using data science in your products and services for a competitive advantage, you’re in a popular but challenging situation with your customers. I call what I’ve just described: using data science as a supporting strategy. For instance, the people at Graze.com incorporate data science into their snack business to develop and deliver the next box of goodies their customer will get. Let’s be clear though: they’re in the snack business, not the data science business. In this situation, I recommend keeping your data scientists as far away from your customers as possible. If you’re using big data as a supporting strategy, make it a priority to keep your customers insulated from your data science.

Buffering

Buffering is an important strategy for leaders using data science as a supporting strategy. In short, buffering is structuring at least one organizational layer between your data science team and your customers. Contrast this to leaders using data science as a core strategy–selling products and services to other data scientists, like RapidMiner, Kitenga (now part of Dell), and Cloudera. In this case, it’s a great idea to put your data science team in front of your customers, because like attracts like. However, Graze.com’s snackers have no interest in data science, so in this case, keep the analytics out of the conversation.

Instead, have your customers interface with other people in your company who are like them. The same “like attracts like” concept applies. If you’re in the business of wearables for athletic people, put a layer of athletic-minded people between your customers and your data science team. A good friend of mine is a triathlete that runs analytics to help other triathletes compete. Although he’s an analytic, he wears his triathlete persona when addressing his customers. Since he’s a one-man shop, that’s his only choice. In a larger company, this concept should obtain as a sales and marketing layer comprised of athletes–not engineers.

Translation

One important job of the buffering organization is to translate what the data scientists are trying to accomplish, into terms your customers understand. The reason why you don’t put data scientists in front of non-analytics, is that they’re typically difficult to relate to. Imagine a group of pro football players showing up at Comic-con. The first time a trekkie introduces themself to a linebacker in Klingon, there will be a problem. Before a product or service is introduced to your customers, it must be sanitized from its analytic underpinnings.

When Progressive talks to its clients about its SnapShot device, there’s no discussion about analytics. Their marketing may allude to the scientific prowess that goes into their product for effect; however, in practice they call it usage-based insurance. This is a perfect example of translation. Most drivers understand the term usage-based insurance. You’ll quickly lose them if you start talking about behavior-based digital profiling using a synthesis of regression and machine learning algorithms.

It may take multiple layers within the organization to successfully translate your analytic-based competitive advantage into customer-facing language. I’ve worked with several organizations where the developers are three or four levels removed from the customer. When I worked with Visa, there was a product development group, product function group, business analyst group, and then developers and architects. Sometimes it takes multiple translations to get it right for the customer.

Curating

Curating is a special requirement for those integrating advanced analytics into their products and services. A special challenge the buffering organization has with their analytic brain trust is information overload. Curating sifts through the piles of brilliance to extricate the golden nuggets that will appeal to your customers. That’s no easy feat.

Consider a museum curator whose job is to process archeological findings into a display of wonderment. Piles and piles of ancient bones, tools, and artifacts must be reduced, organized, and displayed in a way the appeals to the masses. Curators do more than just translate–they manage and oversee their body of work, and interact with the viewing public.

In a similar fashion, your curators must own the body of work produced by your data science team. Whether or not you put your curators in direct contact with your customer (both ways work), they should synthesize the wealth of information produced by your data scientists into a concise, attractive package that your customers will relate to. Even if you translate well, if you don’t curate, you’ll hit your target market with too much information and they’ll find a competitor that’s easier to understand.

Summary

There’s no doubt your data scientists are brilliant; however, too much brilliance for your uninitiated customers will drive them away. If you incorporate fancy analytics into your products, but your customers aren’t really jazzed by math and science, save the tech-speak for your in-house design team. As you structure your organization, ensure there’s a buffer between your data science team and your customers, who can translate and curate their findings. If I’m a Graze.com customer, I don’t want a lecture on how to design the perfect meal–I just want a snack.

Submitted for Publication in TechRepublic’s Big Data Analytics Blog

This is the sneak peak of my latest contribution to TechRepublic’s Big Data Analytics Blog. As editors do, when this gets published, some of the words and content may be arranged or deleted for a variety of reasons including SEO. What you’re looking at here is the uncut, unabridged, unedited version of the article that was submitted.

John Weathington is President and CEO of Excellent Management Systems, Inc., a management consultancy that helps people and organizations achieve strategic results. His Fortune 500 clients include Hewlett Packard, PayPal, Sun Microsystems, Hitachi Data Systems, Cisco and Visa where he managed and mobilized their enterprise data strategy, a comprehensive program of 150 projects, over 45 initiatives, and 5 major tracks. John can be found on many social media sites including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+.

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Excellent Management Systems, Inc.

"The Science Of Success"

John Weathington helps leaders transform organizations.

For over 20 years, John has consulted to people and firms of all sizes including Fortune 500 icons such as Chevron, Hewlett Packard, Sun Microsystems, Wells Fargo, PayPal, Cisco, Pacific Gas and Electric, Hitachi, and Visa where he managed the financial services giant's enterprise data strategy--a program consisting of 150 projects over 45 initiatives and 5 major tracks. Visit John at Excellent Management Systems, Inc. for news, updated information, client results, testimonials, free articles, and more.